Species Fact Profile: Blue Death-Feigning Beetle (Asbolus verrucosus)

                                                       Blue Death-Feigning Beetle

                                                       Asbolus verrucosus (LeConte, 1851)

Range: Southwestern United States, Northwestern Mexico

Habitat:  Dry, Sandy Desert

Diet: Fruit, Lichens, Dead Insects

Social Grouping: Colonial

Reproduction: Females lay eggs in moist substrate.  Eggs are very tiny (about 2 millimeters) and hatch after 2-3 weeks.  Mealworm-like larva undergo metamorphosis to become adults when the grubs are about 5 centimeters long.  Transition from egg to adult can take 6-12 months

Lifespan: 8 Years

      Conservation Status: Not Evaluated

• Body length 1.8-2 centimeters.  Males slightly smaller than females.  Forewings are covered with small wart-like bumps (though they have wings, they do not fly)
• Powdery blue coloration, the result of a wax-like coating on their body to retain moisture.  Turn darker blue, almost black, in high humidity conditions.  Males have bristly red hairs on their antennae
• If threatened, their primary defense mechanism is to feign death, flipping on its back and becoming rigid.  If no danger is sensed, they will right themselves and continue to move along.  Beetles that are kept in captivity can become habituated to handling and may cease to feign death
• Predations include a variety of rodents, birds, lizards, and spiders
• Popular in the pet trade due to their easy care requirements/hardiness, docility, and longevity, as well as their ability to cohabit with a variety of other species, but difficult to breed in captivity - while adults are tolerant of a variety of environmental conditions, humidity requirements for both egg-laying and pupation are very specific